A battery case is a protective covering for storing or housing a battery. The battery case is conventionally constructed in two parts, viz., a base and a lid. The base portion supports the battery; the lid portion provides access to the battery for servicing or replacement. If the battery is connected to a power lead, the battery case may include an egress port through which the power lead can exit. Battery cases may be employed on automobiles, boats, etc. for shielding the battery from environmental factors.
If a flexible battery is housed in a battery case, the flexibility of the entire ensemble can be maintained by employing a pliable battery case. David Carroll discloses a flexible garment for housing a flexible battery (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,572,401 and 6,097,607 and WO 0144954). The garment disclosed by Carroll is made of pliable fabric and includes an array of “pockets” for housing the flexible battery.
The US Army has developed a “Conformal Wearable Battery” (CWB). The CWB is a flexible protective case for housing multiple non-flexible batteries inserted within the pocket of a combatant's garment. (“Conformal battery unburdens Army's networked Soldiers” Dan Lafontaine, U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Jul. 16, 2013, see: www.army.mil.) The CWB houses multiple battery modules within a single case and is flexible, so as to conform to the shape and movement of the combatant, but is not articulate.
What is needed is an articulate battery case having conformal flexibility. What is needed is a battery case having multiple compartments flexibly joined to one another, with each compartment separately housing a noncontiguous non-flexile battery module, and with the noncontiguous battery modules being electrically interconnected for forming one single battery.